Offshoring of legal and para-legal services to India is the next big thing in the BPO space. Though still in its nascent stage, it is expected to grow in a big way.

Since foreign law firms are not allowed to practice here, subsidiaries are being set up so as to provide legal and para-legal services for export purposes. Besides, various joint ventures have been formed between US-based law firms and appropriate firms in India.

A third form of legal offshoring is taking place in the form of third party vendors providing services to law firms and in-house corporate attorneys. Evalueserve is one such example that has filed over 600 patents in areas of communications, healthcare and electronics, and has trained over 100 professionals to become proficient in US law and various US-Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) rules and regulations.

Industry watchers claim the revenue generated by this industry in India will jump to $300 mn by ‘10 and further to $970 mn by ‘15. It is expected to close the year ‘05 with a figure of $52 mn. Not just revenues, it will generate employment opportunities for a wide range of professionals. With around 1,300 professionals engaged in the business right now, more than 6,500 are expected to be working in this sector by ‘10. This figure may reach 19,400 by ‘15.

Although outsourcing of legal support services to the US or the UK service providers has been going on for over 20 years, it is only in the past 24 months that serious offshore exploration by law firms has started in India.

It is not just lawyers. Outsourcing in this field could also prove to be a decent career opportunity for many professionals, including engineers, chartered accountants and MBAs. The pay packets offered are competitive and comparable to that in the IT service industry with the average compensation offered being between $10,000 -$12,000 per year.